balding green singer

[carolynglopez]

Hello,

I have a little green singer finch. Recently I've noticed her feathers on her head have been ruffled so I decided to take a closer look. I realized that she is going bald on her head. I have not really experienced bird molting, so I really don't know what that looks like. I am a bit concerned that she might be sick. Although, she acts rather fine. There is another female (and a male) and they don't really get along. Kahleesi (the one balding) was in the cage before any other bird, but the other female likes to pick on her. Do I need to separate them? Any help at all or insight would be great. Thanks.

P.S. I can try to get a picture of the balding if need be.

[Sally]

Are they all Green Singers? I would say that one of the birds (probably the other hen) is plucking her. Trios often don't work well, as two will buddy up and pick on the one extra. Can you try separating her for a while and see if that helps? To help her grow back her feathers, you can give her homemade eggfood, the protein in the egg helps to grow feathers.

And welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, and the members are always happy to answer questions. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[finchmix22]

Welcome to the forum! I agree with Sally, that they are picking on the one hen. I had my two GS hens in a flight with one male GS and learned the hard way that doing so was dangerous to the hens health. The hens attacked each other and both ended up bloodied and had to go to the vet. I learned to only keep one male/female pair of GS per cage/flight. Now, everyone is happy. So, yes, I'd separate the hens and get another male, so you have two pair, but I'd keep them in separate cages. GS really need a mate to be happy.

[debbie276]

You've already been given good advise, just wanted to say welcome to the forum